Lakitu and Spinies made their first appearance in Super Mario Bros.. The Lakitu flies over Mario and attacks by throwing Spiny eggs, which turn into Spinies upon touching the ground. The Spinies are among the few enemies which can't be defeated by jumping, as their sharp spikes hurt Mario on contact. Lakitu is a dangerous enemy because since it flies high into the air it is most often out of reach, though like most enemies it can be defeated by jumping on it: some later games even allow Mario to ride Lakitu's Cloud after defeating it. In this game, Lakitu's Cloud was known as "Jugem's Cloud," as "Jugem" is Lakitu's Japanese name, which did not carry over to his cloud's name.

Since their first appearance, like Goombas and Koopas, Lakitu and the Spinies became series staples and appeared in several games, both as enemies with the same general behavior but sometimes employing slightly different attack patterns and, mostly in spin-off games, with neutral or supporting roles.

Lakitu and Spinies' appearances as Assist Trophies are taken straight from their 8-bit Super Mario Bros. designs.

These airborne menaces used to ride their clouds exclusively as Bowser's henchmen. They typically hover just out of Mario's reach and hurl Spinies with irritating precision. More recently, however, they've been known to take on less evil tasks, such as doing camera work for sports events and even helping Mario on his quests.

In Brawl, a Lakitu appears from an Assist Trophy. He drops Spinies from the sky, which wander around and damage opponents upon touch. If the character is hit by a Spiny while airborne, they will be meteor smashed. Lakitu can be KO'd, which will prevent any additional Spinies from appearing. However, this can be hard, as reaching him can prove difficult, and hitting him correctly is also difficult. If he holds an egg, it could damage the player if he/she strike him. Sometimes it takes two hits to make Lakitu fall.

The Spinies thrown walk back and forth, damaging all players who touch them. They can be devastating, but are slow and easy to avoid. If Lakitu is KO'd, the spinies will still remain on-screen, walking around until they all fall off the stage or automatically disappear.

Despite being invulnerable, the Spinies have hitboxes. This is likely so that Lakitu can use a Spiny as a shield to avoid taking a hit from a character.

A particularly stubborn breed of Koopa. Lakitus chase Mario aboard clouds and attack by throwing Spiny Eggs down from above. More recently, Lakitus have taken over the role of cameramen, filming with cameras that they dangle from long rods. Spinies are Koopa creatures with tough, spiked shells. Jumping onto them has no effect, but fireballs can dispatch them.

Lakitu appears as an enemy, using his modern appearance instead of his 8-bit one. Like in his home series, he attacks by throwing Spiny eggs which turn into Spinies upon touching the ground. Damaging a Lakitu enough will knock him down from his cloud, though given enough time he will regain it. The Spinies do not drop any powerup when defeated and fly away if left alone long enough.

Flying over the battlefield in a cloud, this member of Bowser's forces persistently chases after Mario. He takes a break from throwing Spiny Eggs to do some racing in Mario Kart 7. When summoned, he'll appear as a sprite and toss Spiny Eggs at those fighting below him.

One of Bowser's minions, this cloud-riding turtle and general nuisance to Mario made his debut as a playable character in Mario Kart 7. In this game, you can summon a pixellated Lakitu who'll throw Spiny Eggs that will turn into Spinies - beasties with red, spiky shells - when they hit the ground.

: Super Mario Bros. (10/1985)

: New Super Mario Bros. U (11/2012)

Lakitu

With his cute little specs and smiling cloud, it's hard not to love Lakitu...until he starts pelting you with Spiny Eggs. This meanie has been tormenting Mario since the very first Super Mario Bros. game, and his mode of attack is no different here. He'll try and hover out of reach, but only by taking him out can you keep the Spiny rain from falling.

With his cute little specs and smiling cloud, it's hard not to love Lakitu...until he starts pelting you with Spiny Eggs. This blighter has been tormenting Mario since the very first Super Mario Bros. game, and his mode of attack is no different here. Although he loves to hover just out of reach, you'll want to take him out to stop those Spinies coming.

Spiny

Somebody needs to ask Lakitu just where he gets these spiky-shelled little critters... They start off as Spiny Eggs when he hurls them and then turn into Spinies when they land. They'll immediately head for any fighters in the area. Avoid them or take them out—your choice!

Somebody needs to ask Lakitu just where he gets these spiky-shelled little critters... They start off as Spiny Eggs when he hurls them, then turn into the spinies we know and... "love" when they land, immediately heading for any fighters in the area! Try dodging just before those spikes touch you, and then move in to attack!

Lakitu + Cloud 9

This cloud kart is basically the bottom half of Lakitu. With its fluffy design and zippy style, Cloud 9 seems like a good match for Yoshi, but can you imagine what it would look like for Wario to drive this? It might just be distracting enough to give you an advantage!

This cloud kart is basically Lakitu's other half. As in, "bottom half". Being so fluffy, it would be a good fit for Yoshi, but can you imagine Wario driving it? That'd just be weird! Then again, maybe he'd use that to throw his opponents off their game... Yep, that Wario's a sneaky one!